Tutorial Two: Occupational Engagement, Doing, Being, Becoming and Belonging.

Dance allows one to do, be, become and belong.

Dancing is a universal human occupation; it is an art form almost as old as humanity using movement of the body to express oneself. I have always loved to dance, however uncoordinated I may be; whether it is at a school disco or attempting to learn ballroom. I appreciate dance as a beautiful, intricate and skillful art form and wonder at the talents of professionals. During Fieldwork 2 I had the opportunity to participate in a weekly dance group with individuals with disabilities. Their incredible enthusiasm during these sessions emphasised just how important dance can be as a meaningful occupation and I therefore chose to investigate it further.

The concepts of doing, being, becoming and belonging are all integral to the philosophy of occupational therapy, because “together, they epitomise occupation” (Wilcock, 1998b). According to Hammel (2004), the notion of doing involves involvement in purposeful, goal-orientated activities. The ability to ‘do’ provides “structure, an affirmation of competence and enhanced feelings of self-worth through a sense of being valuable and capable” (Hammel, 2004, p. 301). Image 10 & 11 (Dancers in wheelchairs) shows that the ability to ‘do’ does not have to be compromised because of disability: adapted occupations still provide the same benefits and feelings of involvement. ‘Being’ is a more philosophical concept that is centrally concerned with the nature of existence. It is the time taken to reflect and introspective or meditative, rediscover the self, savour the moment, appreciate and contemplate art and music and enjoy being with special people (Hammel, 1998a, as cited in Hammel, 2004).  Image 4 (Royal ballet, swan lake) displays the occupation of dance as an art form that allows for humans to reflect upon and appreciate the beauty that can arise from occupation. ‘Becoming’ looks as life as a process, with our history and present contributing towards our ‘becoming’, and providing us with the ability to envisage our futures and explore opportunities in order to get us to where we wish to be. Image 8 (Billy Elliot) represents this concept: the visualisation of a future in the occupation of dance, and the necessary steps that will ultimately result in that achievement. ‘Belonging’ relates more specifically to social relationships, and emphasises the importance of social interaction, friendship, support and inclusion and feeling that ones life has value not only for oneself but for others also (Duggan & Dijkers, 1999, as cited in Hammel, 2004). Image 12 (Flash mob) epitomises the sense of unity, inclusiveness and friendship that dancing can provide.

Ethical considerations that I have made in relation to the images that I have chosen: ensuring that each image that I have sourced from online are appropriately referenced in full (on each slide), so that the original author of the material has credit and readers can easily access the original image. I took care in ensuring the online sources that I used were authentic and reliable and not using copyrighted material without permission. In my accompanying material I referred to my fieldwork placement, as it influenced my choice of occupation, but I made sure not to state names of people or places to ensure privacy.

References:

Hammell, K.W. (2004). Dimensions of meaning in the occupations of daily life.  Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71 (5).

Wilcock, A.A. (1998b).  Reflections on doing, being becoming.  Canadian Journal of Occupational 
         Therapy, 65, 248-256.   

PO1 Slideshow - Dancing.

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